The Truth about Martin Frost, part one
by annatopia, Fri Jan 07, 2005 at 08:19:55 AM EST
Since I have a lot to say about Martin's potential DNC chairmanship, I've decided to break down my analysis into several parts. Part one will deal with Martin's voting record.
Now regarding Martin, I feel it's important to know his voting record if we're going to discuss him. He's been called a DINO, and while I don't think that's really appropriate, I do have a problem with the way he voted on some big issues. Putting that aside for a moment, here is his actual voting record, courtesy of Project Vote Smart. His ratings (also from Project Vote Smart) from major interest groups are summarised below:
- 100% lifetome rating from NARAL and Planned Parenthood, 0% from the National Right to Life Committee
- mixed record on Agriculture, with 72.5% average rating from the National Farmer's Union and 61% average from the American Farm Bureau Federation
- crappy record on animal welfare and wildlife issues, with ratings at low as 25% from the Humane Society in 2000. his later record seems a bit better but not by much. he tops out at a 56% rating in 2004 from the Humane Society, the Fund for Animals, and the Animal Protection Institute
- 100% lifetime rating from Americans for the Arts and the American Library Association (humanities issues)
- on the budget, he gets single digit ratings from most conservative tax/budget groups, such as Americans for Tax Reform, the National Taxpayers Union, and Citizens Against Government Waste
- regarding Business and Consumers, he gets very low ratings from most of the business group PACs, although the American Coalition for Ethanol gives him a 100% lifetime rating
- the ACLU gives him a 71% average lifetime rating on votes regarding civil liberties
- regarding civil rights, the Human Rights Campaign gives him a 100% lifetime rating. he gets 95% from the NAACP. he gets a lifetime average of 91% from the Nat'l Hispanic Leadership Agenda, yet gets only 39% from the Arab American Institute. his civil rights ratings declined substantially over the past four years.
- on conservative issues, the John Birch Society gives him a 25% lifetime rating. He gets single digits from the Eagle Forum and the Christian Coalition. again, the latter years show a more conservative voting record.
- the NEA gives him a 100% lifetime rating on education issues
- on the environment, he gets a 71.5% from the League of Conservation Voters, 75% from the Sierra Club, 55% from the Comprehensive US Sustainable Population, and 77% from the National Parks Consevation Association.
- on family/children, he gets 90.5% lifetime rating from the Children's Defense Fund, and in 2000 the odious Family Research Council gave him a 66% rating
- on foreign aid, he's a hawk. he gets negative ratings from several organisations seeking to end Israeli occupation of the West Bank. PeacePAC gives him 29%, and Peace Action gives him a lifetime 42.75% lifetime average. again, we see his votes become more hawkish over the years.
- NOW gives him a 90% lifetime average on gender issues
- on guns, NRA rates him an F, and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gives him a lifetime 64% lifetime
- he has an excellent public health voting record, rating 100% from the AMA and 96% from the American Public Health Association
- he does well on labor issues, garnering anywhere from 75-100% from IBEW, SEIU, IBB, AFSCME, UAW, AFL-CIO, IAMAW, NCOA, and CWA
- on legal issues, the American Bar Assc. gives him a lifetime rating of 100%
- on issues considered "liberal", he averages 61% from Public Citizen. his other ratings are mixed, ranging from a low of 50% from the Friends Committee on National Legislation (quakers) to a high of 95% from Americans for Democratic Action
- regarding senior issues, he's got a lifetime rating of 98% from the Alliance of Retired Americans and 92% from the Natl Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
- on social issues his record is mixed but better than most. he rates 100% from Bread for the World and Population Action International. People for the American Way gives him an average of 82%, 84% from Zero Population Growth, and NETWORK gives him an average of 72.5% (Network is a Catholic Social Justice PAC). his voting record on these issues actually gets better in the later years.
- on trade, CATO gives him a low of 28% and a high of 67%, so I'd call that mixed
- on veteran's issues (martin's wife served in iraq and is currently enlisted), the DAV gave him a 50% last year and 100% in 2001. the American Legion gives him 60%
Overall, considering that Martin is a Democrat from Texas, his voting record is pretty solid overall. He's consistently voted for women, for seniors, for labor, and for health care. These are all good things.
I'm troubled by his voting record on the Israel and Palestine issue. I would imagine, perhaps incorrectly, that Martin's Jewish heritage influences his voting record on that particular issue. To be blunt, on Israel, Martin stands with Joe Lieberman. While that may not be a problem for many people, I take a more liberal stance towards the I/P conflict.
I am also troubled by the conservative bent his voting record took during the last six years of his tenure in Congress. On issues I consider important to me, such as civil rights and civil liberties, Martin cast many votes in favor of curtailing our civil liberties.
So let's look at those votes. I'm going to focus his "bad" votes. I've already acknowledged he has a good record on labor, women and children, health care, and senior issues. I do consider those issues important and I thank Martin for his consistency there. But I want to focus on some things that are more contentious.
Here are some examples of Martin sponsoring, supporting, or voting for Republican-sponsored initiatives:
- Frost co-sponsored and voted for HJ-RES36, the Constitutional Amendment against flag burning.
- He voted yes on H.Con.Res.239, which was sponsored by Georgia wingnut Johnny Isakson (the guy who was just elected to Zell Miller's old Senate seat). The bill stated: "Expressing the sense of Congress that schools should allow children time to pray for, or silently reflect upon, the country during the war against terrorism." in other words, he voted FOR prayer in public schools.
- Voted YES on HR729, a bill which made federal death penalty appeals harder.
- On top of that, he voted NO on maintaining the right of habeus corpus during death penalty appeals (HR2703).
- In 1994, he voted NO on HR4092, which would have replaced the death penalty for federal crimes with life imprisonment.
- He voted YES on HR1501, which encouraged more prosecution and sentencing of juvenile offenders.
- Voted YES on HR4444, which was a vote to approve Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China.
- Voted YES on HR4, which was a vote to "declare it to be the policy of the United States to deploy a national missile defense." in other words, he voted YES to star wars.
- Voted NO on HR4 in 2001, which would have raised CAFE standards.
- Voted YES on HR3073, which was a bill to promote responsible fatherhood. The catch? The bill included grants to faith-based organisations.
Now moving along, I'd like to list a few votes which I consider crucial to my anti-Frost stance.
- USA PATRIOT ACT - voted YES
- Iraq War Resolution - voted YES
- Bush budget-busting "tax cuts" (both packages) - voted YES
Those three are dealbreakers for me, and I'll explain why. During the time when we ("we" being progressives, dems, anyone left of center) were in desperate need of leadership, most of the Democrats didn't step up to the plate. I'm sorry to say that Martin was one of those who chose to remain silent in the face of adversity. IMO, leadership is more than a voting record (and I admit Martin's got a decent voting record). Leadership is about integrity, honesty, and strength in the face of great peril. While Martin may be a man of integrity and honesty most of the time, he failed miserably when we needed him (and the rest of the Dems) the most.
A big part of being a leadership is also having good judgement. Some may say that it was good judgement for the Dems to jump on the Bush bandwagon, but when we look at the results of the 2002 and 2004 elections, can you really honestly say that it was "good judgement" to muddy the waters between the two parties? I think not, but that's just my opinion.
Anyway, I'll conclude part one now. Hopefully this analysis has helped everyone understand Martin's legislative record a bit better. Part two of this series will examine Martin's tenure as head of the DCCC, as well as his actions during the presidential primaries. I'll also tell you more about his constituent services (or lack thereof). If that doesn't get too lengthy, I'll conclude it with an examination of his most recent congressional campaign. Basically, I'm not sure if I'll have one or two more entries. But I'll try to help you all get an better understanding of Martin Frost over the next few days, and hopefully I'll have everything online before BlogPAC holds their conference call with Frost.
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